UPDATE 1-Canadian auto workers back labor pact with General Motors

Sept 27 Unionized workers at General Motors
Corp's Canadian operations have voted in favor of a
four-year labor agreement with the company, the Canadian Auto
Workers union said on Thursday.

Some 73 percent of the GM workers who voted backed the deal,
the CAW said in a statement.

The GM agreement includes a $3,000 quality and productivity
bonus for workers upon ratification as well as cost of living
lump sum payments of $2,000 in each of 2013, 2014 and 2015. It
offers protection of current pension benefits for existing
workers, as well as investment and employment commitments in all
locations.

The GM ratification is the second deal to be finalized with
a Detroit Three automaker in Canada after unionized workers at
Ford Motor Co last Sunday voted in favor of a similar
agreement with Ford.

Workers at Fiat SpA's Chrysler Group LLC will vote
on their agreement with the CAW on Saturday and Sunday. The
union and Chrysler reached a tentative four-year agreement late
on Thursday.

The GM ratification was widely expected although talks
leading up to the agreement were tough as GM, like the other two
automakers, insisted that labor costs had to come down.

Under the GM deal, the company has committed to creating
about 900 new jobs at its Canadian operations by adding a third
shift to its "flex" line in Oshawa, Ontario.

Mirroring the Ford deal, the GM agreement freezes wages for
existing workers for the first three years but provides for a
cost-of-living adjustment in the fourth year. Workers will also
get a series of lump-sum bonuses. New hires will start at a
lower hourly rate than under the previous contract and take
longer to reach the top level of the pay scale.

NEW YORK, Dec 9 Country star Garth Brooks is in
discussions to perform at the inauguration of U.S.
President-elect Donald Trump, the singer's representative said
on Friday, as organizers of the event denied media reports that
they were struggling to find A-list stars to take part.